sim.

The police investigation received 221 mobile phones, 495 sim cards, 11 drones, and devices allowing data to be extracted from phones and eavesdropping on wi-fi activity.

After telling O2 he had not changed his password, the firm said he must have been a victim of a Sim swap scam, which sees his mobile number used and transferred to a new Sim card.

Meanwhile, O2 confirmed his new sim card was on its way, but it was connected to a different mobile phone number.

He also recommended adding a PIN number to the sim card, which can be done in a phone's settings, and the use of authenticator apps to generate random codes, instead of ones sent by text.

O2 Virgin Media confirmed the scammer telephoned its call centre requesting a new sim and had hacked Stephen's emails.